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Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be of the opinion that Lionel Messi didn't deserve the 2021 Ballon d'Or over him. Messi collected the prestigious award for the seventh time in a ceremony earlier this week.
Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d'Or five times, reacted to a post by a fan that outlined why the Portuguese deserved this year's award. The fan stated that Ronaldo won the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup, which should be recognized. Additionally, Cristiano Ronaldo was also Juventus' top scorer in the 2020-21 season and for Portugal at Euro 2020.
The post also called Ronaldo "the highest scorer in football history in official goals" and "the top scorer in the history of all the teams in the world." One can conclude that the fan was referring to the Portuguese legend's incredible feat of becoming the top goal-scorer in men's international football.
Cristiano Ronaldo commented "facts" on the post, indicating that he agrees with those claims.
The fan also went on to berate Lionel Messi, stating that his Copa America success with Argentina should've really been his fourth in four years. The post also outlined that Messi had only won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona, went "missing in big games" and did not score in the finals or semifinals.
It is worth noting, however, that Lionel Messi netted a brace in the Copa del Rey final and assisted Lautaro Martinez's goal in the Copa America 2021 semifinal.
"Steal, dirt, shame" - Fan believes Lionel Messi did not deserve Ballon d'Or over "best in history" Cristiano Ronaldo
The post also went on to add that even if Lionel Messi had a low season, he would be "favored" and "given the award." The fan wrote:
"Steal. Dirt. Shame. It's just unfortunate. Who saw it, saw it. Those who are intelligent enough know who deserve the truth."
The post also stated that Robert Lewandowski, who finished second in the 2021 Ballon d'Or vote, was "incredible in individual numbers." Lewandowski notably picked up the Bundesliga, German Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich this year. Many believe he was the deserving winner of the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
The Pole only received a brief mention in the post, however, before the focus shifted once again to Cristiano Ronaldo. The user concluded:
"Receiving awards without deserving it is false happiness, without pride. Regardless of those awards, CR7 will always be the best in history!"
Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately finished sixth in the 2021 Ballon d'Or voting. Ronaldo was led by Lionel Messi, Lewandowski, Jorginho, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante in the final standings.
